Method and system for providing additional information to called parties

ABSTRACT

A system for providing additional information to called parties, the system comprises a base unit device for sending additional information to called parties, the base unit comprises a microprocessor, at least one Ethernet port, at least one telephone port, a first transceiver, and a first wireless antenna; and a display unit for receiving the additional information from the base unit device and displaying the additional information to the called parties, the display unit comprises a second transceiver, a liquid crystal display, a second wireless antenna, and a set of keys.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of application U.S. Ser. No.12/070,364, entitled “PROVIDING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO CALLEDPARTIES,” filed Feb. 15, 2008, now issued U.S. Pat. No. 8,879,702,issued on Nov. 4, 2014, which in turn is a continuation-in-part ofapplication U.S. Ser. No. 11/974,983, entitled “PROVIDING ADDITIONALINFORMATION TO CALLED PARTIES,”, filed Oct. 17, 2007, now issued U.S.Pat. No. 8,625,762, issued on Jan. 7, 2014, which is a non-provisionalof U.S. Application No. 60/934,407, filed on Jun. 13, 2007, the contentof each are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure is generally related to a communications network,and more particularly to a system for providing additional informationto called parties in a communications network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Automatic Number Identification (ANI) is a system utilized by telephonecompanies to identify the Directory Number (DN) of a calling subscriber.ANI serves a function similar to Caller ID, but may utilize differentunderlying technology. ANI was originally developed for telephonecompany billing purposes and is now offered to commercial customers whomay benefit from knowing who is calling them. In addition, ANI is one ofthe core technologies behind the 911 emergency service.

In commercial applications, a user may have an integrated or extraneousdisplay affixed to a telephone. Such a display presents the ANI ortelephone number of the calling party. In addition, the display maypresent the caller's name or calling name, also known as CNAM. As such,what is needed is a system that can provide additional information tocalled parties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system for providing additional information to a called party in acommunications network is provided. The system comprises a base unitdevice for sending additional information to called parties, the baseunit comprises a microprocessor, at least one Ethernet port, at leastone telephone port, a first transceiver, and a first wireless antenna;and a display unit for receiving the additional information from thebase unit device and displaying the additional information to the calledparties, the display unit comprises a second transceiver, a liquidcrystal display, a second wireless antenna, and a set of keys.

Alternatively, the system comprises a display unit for displayingadditional information received from a base unit device to calledparties, the display unit comprises a liquid crystal display operable todisplay at least one alphanumeric character, a “UP” key, a “DN” key, anda “E” key.

A method for providing additional information to a called party isprovided. The method comprises performing a set up of a display unitusing a combination of at least one of a “UP” key, a “DN” key, and a “E’key of the display unit, performing a test for connection between thedisplay unit and a base unit device based on a base unit addressconfigured using a combination of at least one of a “UP” key, a “DN”key, and a “E’ key of the display unit, performing a test forcommunication between the display unit and a database, and displayingthe additional information on a liquid crystal display of the displayunit in a message, the additional information comprising a phone numberof a calling party, a name of the calling party, a message for a calledparty, a date of the call, and a time of the call.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a system for providing additional information to calledparties in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts a diagram illustrating components of device 102 inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 depicts a diagram illustrating components of a called partydevice display in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart of a method for performing setup of display300 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of a method for performing a self test inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart of a method for performing the Internet testin accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart of a method for providing real-timeinformation to called parties on the LCD display in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 depicts a diagram of exemplary implementation of the userinterface of display 300 in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 9 depicts a flowchart of a process for changing radio channel inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10A depicts a diagram illustrating entering a phone number inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10B depicts a diagram illustrating entering the 10^(th) digit of aphone number in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 10C depicts a diagram illustrating entering a time zone inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10D depicts a diagram illustrating entering daylight savings zonein accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10E depicts a diagram illustrating confirming a daylight savingszone in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11A depicts a diagram illustrating displaying a “Connect Success”message in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11B depicts a diagram illustrating displaying a “Connect Error”message and confirming radio address in accordance with one embodimentof the present disclosure;

FIG. 11C depicts a diagram illustrating entering a radio address ofdevice in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11D depicts a diagram illustrating confirming the radio addressentry in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11E depicts a diagram illustrating displaying “Connect Error”message in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11F depicts a diagram illustrating displaying a “Connect Success”message in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12A depicts a diagram illustrating displaying the user's phonenumber, name, and welcome message in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 12B depicts a diagram illustrating displaying the date, time, andremaining welcome message in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 12C depicts a diagram illustrating displaying a “Internet TestError” message in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 13A depicts a diagram illustrating displaying the incoming phonenumber in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13B depicts a diagram illustrating displaying calling partyinformation in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13C depicts a diagram illustrating displaying the date, time, andremaining message intended for the called party in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14A depicts a diagram illustrating displaying a message notifyingthe user to unplug and re-plug the power to device 102 in accordancewith one embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 14B depicts a diagram illustrating entering a new channel inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides a system for providing additionalinformation to a called party or called parties. In the context of thepresent disclosure, a calling party is a party initiating or sending acall. A called party is a party receiving the call. The called party andthe calling party each use at least one electronic device. The presentdisclosure is initiated when the called party is able to receive an ANIand is able to display related information to such a service or to arelated service.

FIG. 1 depicts a system 100 for providing additional information tocalled parties in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. System 100 includes a device 102, which is able to sendinformation to a called party device 104. Called party device 104 may becommunicably coupled to device 102 via an RJ 11 (telephone wire) port ora wireless port 130 and is able to display information on a display 108.In this embodiment, the display 108 is integrated within device 102.However, display 108 may be implemented as a standalone device withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Further,the device 102 may be connected to the one or more displays via a wiredand/or wireless connection.

In addition, device 102 may receive information from a plurality ofsources including public switched telephone network (PSTN) 110 whichincludes a central office 112 which is coupled to a calling party device114. The information may be received by a RJ11 (telephone wire) port 106of device 102. Other sources include a wireless network or data network(not shown) supporting other devices such as a computer or IP enabledphones. Currently, information received by device 102 may includetelephone number of the calling party and the calling party name (CNAM).

Aspects of the present disclosure provide additional information tocalled parties, such as called party device 104, by providing an abilityto retrieve calling party information from a CNAM database 116 and/orother database 118. CNAM database 116 and other database 118 compriseinformation relating to the calling party, for example, calling partyname, telephone number, messages, location, and other informationassociated with the calling party. In addition, the information relatingto the calling party may be a name, a city, a state, an address, ahyperlink, a photo, a video, and any information that can be sent via anInternet Protocol connection. When a calling party initiates a callusing calling party device 114, calling party device 114 sends anautomatic number identification (ANI) or other identifier of the callingparty to RJ11 (telephone wire) port 106 of device 102. An example ofanother identifier may include an IP address of the calling party device114 or a unique identifier of the calling party that can be received andtransmitted by the calling party device 114.

In response to receiving the ANI or other identifier, device 102 sends aquery for the calling party name to CNAM database 116 and/or otherdatabase 118. The query may be sent via the RJ45 (Ethernet) port or aUSB port 120 of device 102 to databases 116 or 118 via a directconnection or via a data network (not shown). Once the query isreceived, a lookup is performed in CNAM database 116 or other database118 for the calling party name. If the calling party name is found, theCNAM database 116 or other database 118 returns the calling party nameand additional information associated with the calling party to device102. Upon receiving the information, device 102 may display it ondisplay 108. Prior to performing the lookup, device 102 may firstdetermine whether the called number is a paying subscriber. To determineif the subscriber is a paying subscriber, the CNAM database 116 or otherdatabase 118 may send information of the called number, including, thecalled party name, a credit card number, or a zipcode, to anotherdatabase for verification. If the verification is acceptable, the CNAMdatabase 112 or other database 114 then returns a response to the device102.

In addition to displaying the information, device 102 may send theinformation to other called party devices, such as called party devices104, 122, and 126, to be contemporaneously displayed on displays 109,124, and 128 respectively. In this example, displays 109, 124, and 128are implemented as standalone devices. In other embodiments, thedisplays 109, 124, and 128 can be communicably coupled to called partydevices 104, 122, and 126 or may be integrated with called party devices104, 122 and 126 without departing the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure. For example, display 128 may be integrated as part of calledparty device 126 and device 102 may send information directly to calledparty device 126 to be displayed on display 128. The information may besent from the RJ11 (telephone wire) port of device 102 or via wirelessconnection 130. However, if the calling name is not found, a lookup isperformed in other databases (not shown) to determine where the ANI oridentifier of the calling party is stored. Once the ANI or identifier islocated, the calling party information may be provided to device 102.

Referring to FIG. 2, a diagram illustrating components of device 102 isdepicted in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.Device 102 comprises a power receptacle 201, which receives power froman external power supply 203. Device 102 also comprises a microprocessor202, which controls operations for sending information to called partiesand receiving information from calling party devices or databases. Oneexample of microprocessor 202 may be a microprocessor implemented withARM7 architecture. ARM7 architecture is optimized for cost andpower-sensitive consumer applications. Microprocessor 202 comprises aninternal Ethernet interface or communicates with Ethernet interface 204to retrieve information from CNAM database 116 or other database 118.

To receive an ANI or identifier of the calling party from a callingparty device, device 102 comprises an RJ-11 port 206, which uponreceiving the identifier or ANI, sends the identifier or ANI to thecaller ID decoder 208 via telephone Interface circuitry 210. The callerID decoder 208 decodes the identifier or ANI and sends it tomicroprocessor 202 to be processed.

Upon receiving the identifier or ANI, microprocessor 202 sends a queryto CNAM database 116 or other database 118 for the calling party nameand additional information based on the received ANI or identifier.Microprocessor 202 sends the query from either an internal Ethernetinterface or Ethernet interface 204 via an Ethernet interface circuitry212 to the RJ-45 (Ethernet port) 214. RJ-45 port 214 in turn sends thequery to CNAM database 116 or other database 118.

Upon receiving calling party name and additional information associatedwith the calling party or additional intended for the called party,RJ-45 port 214 forwards the calling party name and additionalinformation to microprocessor 202. The information received at RJ-45port 214 is sent via the Ethernet interface circuitry 212 to either aninternal Ethernet interface of microprocessor 202 or Ethernet interface204 before reaching microprocessor 202.

Once the information is received, microprocessor 202 may forward theinformation to other displays and/or called party devices. In oneembodiment, microprocessor 202 may forward the information by sendingthe information to a caller ID decoder 208, which encodes theinformation in a format, utilized by other displays and/or called partydevices. Caller ID decoder 208 then sends the encoded information toRJ-11 port 216 via telephone interface circuitry 210. RJ-11 port 216 inturn forwards the encoded information to other displays and/or calledparty devices.

In an alternative embodiment, microprocessor 202 may forward theinformation by sending the information via a wireless connection. Inthat case, the information is first sent to a radio frequencytransceiver with controller 218 for wireless applications. RFtransceiver with controller 218 then forwards the information to Antenna220 via antenna interface circuitry 222. Radio frequency transceiverwith controller 218 may handle a bandwidth of about 2.4 GHz. Uponreceiving the information, antenna 220 then sends the information toother displays and/or called party devices via a wireless network.

Referring to FIG. 3, a diagram illustrating components of a called partydevice display unit is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. As discussed above, display 300 may be implementedas a standalone device or an integrated device with other called partydevices. Alternatively, the device 300 may be implemented as a mobiledevice with functionalities of both device 102 and called party devices104, 122, and 126.

Display 300 receives power from one or more batteries 302, which in oneembodiment, are installed in a battery compartment of display 300. Inaddition, display 300 comprises a transceiver 304 for forwarding theinformation received to other components of display unit 300.

Display unit 300 also comprises an antenna 306 for receiving informationin radio frequency signals from a wireless network. Upon receiving theradio frequency signals, antenna 306 forwards the information totransceiver 304 via antenna interface circuitry 308. Transceiver 304 inturn sends the information via an LCD interface circuitry 310 to bedisplayed on a liquid crystal display (LCD) 312. In one implementation,LCD 312 may be a display capable of displaying 4×16 or 64 characterswith no backlight. In addition, LCD 312 may comprise an internalcontroller. LCD 312 may be powered by batteries 302 via a power saveswitch 314 and a negative voltage converter 316 or other power sourcesnot shown in this figure.

Display 300 also comprises a set of keys 320. In one embodiment, set ofkeys 320 comprises a “UP” key 322, a “E” key 324, and a “DN” key 326.Keys 320 provide users the ability to setup and operate the display 300.Selection of keys 320 are received by transceiver 304 via a switchinterface circuitry 328. Thus, different configurations of keys 320 maybe received by the transceiver 304 via the switch interface circuitry328.

Referring to FIG. 4, a flowchart of a method for performing setup ofdisplay 300 is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Process 400 begins at step 402 to depress the “UP” key andthe “DN” key simultaneously for at least three seconds. It is noted thatat any time during the set up process, the initial set up screen may berestarted by depressing “UP” key and the “DN” key simultaneously for atleast three seconds.

Next, process 400 continues to step 404 to display a message on the LCDdisplay prompting the user to enter a phone number by using the “UP” and“DN” keys to select a number and “E” key to enter once selection iscomplete. Process 400 then proceeds to step 406 to determine if all tennumbers are entered. If not all ten numbers are entered, the process 400returns to step 404 to prompt the user for the next number. More detailsregarding entering a phone number using “UP”, “DN”, and “E” keys arediscussed with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B below.

However, if all ten numbers are entered, process 400 continues to step408 to display a message on the LCD display prompting the user to entera time zone using the “UP” and “DN” keys to select a time zone fromavailable options and “E” key to enter once the selection is complete.More details regarding entering a time zone using “UP”, “DN”, and “E”keys are discussed with reference to FIG. 10C below.

After the time zone is entered, process 400 continues to step 410 todisplay a message on the LCD display prompting the user to enter adaylight savings zone by using the “UP” and “DN” keys to select a “Yes”or “No”, and “E” key to enter the selection. More details regardingentering a daylight savings zone using “UP”, “DN”, and “E” keys arediscussed with reference to FIG. 10D below.

After the daylight savings zone is entered, process 400 continues tostep 412 to display a message on the LCD display prompting the user toconfirm the daylight savings zone selection by using the “UP” and “DN”keys to select a “Yes” or “No”, and the “E” key to enter the selection.More details regarding confirming a daylight savings zone using “UP”,“DN”, and “E” keys are discussed with reference to FIG. 10E below.

Process 400 then continues to step 414 to determine if the daylightsavings zone selection has been confirmed. If the selection has beenconfirmed, process 400 continues to step 416 to display a blank screenon the LCD display and continue to test connection with device 102. Ifthe selection has not been confirmed, process 400 returns to steps 404to 412 to display messages prompting the user to enter the phone number,time zone, and daylight savings zone.

After display 300 is set up successfully, the display 300 will perform aself test for connection with the device 102. Referring to FIG. 5, aflowchart of a method for performing a self test is depicted inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. Process 500begins at step 502 to determine if connection with the device 102 issuccessful.

If connection is successful, process 500 continues to step 504 todisplay a “Connect successful” message on the LCD display for at leasttwo seconds and continues to step 506 to perform an Internet test. Moredetails regarding displaying the “Connect Successful” message arediscussed with reference to FIG. 11A below. However, if the connectionis unsuccessful, process 500 continues to step 508 to display a “ConnectError” message on the LCD display prompting the user to confirm radioaddress attached to the barcode label of device 102 by using the “UP”and “DN” keys to select “Yes” or “No” and “E” key to enter theselection. More details regarding confirming radio address of device 102using “UP”, “DN”, and “E” keys are discussed with reference to FIG. 11Bbelow.

Process 500 then continues to step 510 to determine if the radio addressis confirmed by the user. If the radio address is not confirmed, process500 continues to step 516 to retry the connection and determine if theconnection test is successful. However, if the radio address is notconfirmed, process 500 continues to step 512 to display a message on theLCD display prompting the user to enter a radio address using the “UP”and “DN” key to select the numbers and “E” key to enter the selection.More details regarding entering radio address of device 102 using “UP”,“DN”, and “E” keys are discussed with reference to FIG. 11C below.

Process 500 then continues to step 514 to determine if all eight digitsof the radio address is entered. If not all eight digits of the radioaddress are entered, the process 500 returns to step 512 to prompt theuser to enter the remaining digits. If all eight digits of the radioaddress are entered, the process 500 continues to step 515 to prompt theuser to confirm whether the radio address entered is correct. Moredetails regarding confirming entry of radio address of device 102 using“UP”, “DN”, and “E” keys are discussed with reference to FIG. 11D below.

If the radio address entered is incorrect, process 500 returns to step512 to prompting the user to reenter the address. If the radio addressentered is correct, process 500 continues to step 516 to retry theconnection and determine if the connection test is successful. If theconnection test is successful, process 500 continues to step 504 todisplay the “Connect Success” message on the LCD display for at leasttwo seconds and to step 506 to perform the Internet test. More detailsregarding displaying “Connect success” message are discussed withreference to FIG. 11F below.

However, if the connection test is unsuccessful, process 500 continuesto step 518 to display a “Is base unit power cord connected?” message onthe LCD display for at least four seconds and returns to step 516 toretry the connection until the connection is successful. More detailsregarding displaying “Is base unit power cord connected?” message arediscussed with reference to FIG. 11E below.

After performing the connection test with device 102, display 300 willperform an Internet test via device 102 to determine if communicationswith CNAM database 116 or other database 118 for calling partyinformation is successful. Referring to FIG. 6, a flowchart of a methodfor performing the Internet test is depicted in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure. Process 600 begins at step 602 todetermine if connection with the CNAM database 116 or other database 118is successful.

If the connection is successful, process 600 continues to step 604 todisplay the user's phone number, name, and a welcome message. Moredetails regarding displaying the user's phone number, name, and welcomemessage are discussed with reference to FIG. 12A below. In oneembodiment, a display of the phone number, name, and welcome messagealternate every two seconds with a display of the date, time, andremaining message segments. Process 600 then terminates at step 608 tocontinue to the telephone test. More details regarding displaying thedate, time, and remaining welcome message are discussed with referenceto FIG. 12B below.

However, if the connection is unsuccessful, process 600 continues tostep 606 to display an “Internet Test Error Ethernet Cable Connected?”message on the LCD display for at least four seconds. More detailsregarding displaying “Internet Test Error Ethernet Cable Connected?”message are discussed with reference to FIG. 12C below. Process 600 thenreturns to step 602 after four seconds to retry the connection anddetermine if the connection is successful.

In general, the information last displayed on the LCD remains on thedisplay. Referring to FIG. 7, a flowchart of a method for providingreal-time information to called parties on the LCD display is depictedin accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. Process 700begins at step 702 to display an incoming telephone number when anincoming call is received. More details regarding displaying theincoming phone number are discussed with reference to FIG. 13A below.

Next, process 700 continues to step 704 to display retrieved callingparty information, including date, time, and message information. Moredetails regarding displaying calling party information are discussedwith reference to FIG. 13B below. In one embodiment, the incoming phonenumber, name, and message alternate every two seconds with the date,time, and remaining message segments. Process 700 then terminates. Moredetails regarding displaying the date, time, and remaining messagesegments are discussed with reference to FIG. 13C below.

Each incoming message in display 300 is stored in a non-volatilecircular buffer. When the buffer is full, the oldest message is replacedwith the newest message. Referring to FIG. 8, a diagram of exemplaryimplementation of a user interface of display 300 is depicted inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. User interface800 comprises an LCD display window 802, a “UP” key 804, a “E” key 806,and a “DN” key 808.

The “UP” key 804 may be used to set up the display 300 as described inFIG. 4 and perform connection test as described in FIG. 5. When messagesare displayed in LCD display window 802, “UP” key 804 scrolls from thecurrent message to a newer or previously displayed message. The displayof messages will stop on the newest message. A newest message is amessage that is received most recently by display 30.

The “DN” key 808 may also be used to perform setup of the display 300 asdescribed in FIG. 4 and perform connection test as described in FIG. 5.When messages are displayed in LCD display window 802, “DN” key 808scrolls from the current message to an older or a next-to-be-displayedmessage. The display of messages will stop on the oldest message. Anoldest message is a message that is received earliest in time by display300.

The “E” key 806 may also be used to perform setup of the display 300 asdescribed in FIG. 4 and perform connection test as described in FIG. 5.The “E” key 806 may also be used to delete the message currentlydisplayed in the LCD display window 902. If the “E” key 806 is depressedfor three seconds or more, all of the messages stored in the buffer aredeleted.

When viewing a stored message, LCD display window 802 will alternateevery two seconds between a display of incoming phone number, name, andmessage and a display of date, time, and remaining message segment.However, LCD display 802 also provides a sleep mode for power saving. Ifno key is depressed or no call is received by display 300 within 30seconds, LCD display window 802 shows only the first screen with thenewest message and no alternative of displays will be performed. In thisway, LCD display window 802 will enter sleep mode and wake up everysecond to detect an incoming call.

During operation of display 300, channel interference may beexperienced. In the event of channel interference, the radio channel maybe changed. Referring to FIG. 9, a flowchart of a process for changingradio channel is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. In this example, process 900 begins at step 902 toplace the display 300 within proximity of device 102. Once the displayis placed within proximity of device 102, any external interferenceshould be overcome.

Next, process 900 continues to step 904 to depress all three keys of thedisplay 300 simultaneously for at least two seconds. The depressing ofall keys causes a message to be displayed on the LCD display to notifythe user to unplug and re-plug the power to device 102 in order tochange radio channels. The device 102 cycles its power within 30 secondswhen the power receptacle is unplugged and re-plugged to its powersupply. More details regarding displaying a message notifying the userto unplug and re-plug the power to device 102 are discussed withreference to FIG. 12A below.

Upon power up, process 900 continues to 906 to retransmit all channelsstarting with the current channel and an acknowledgement request todevice 102. Once the acknowledgement request is received, process 900continues to step 908 to display a message prompting the user to enterthe new channel. More details regarding displaying a message promptingthe user to enter a new channel are discussed with reference to FIG. 14Bbelow. Upon entering the new channel, process 900 continues to step 910to transmit an acknowledgement with a request for the device to changeto the particular channel.

Process 900 then continues to step 912 to change the channel of thedevice 102 to the new channel specified in the acknowledgement. Process900 then continues to step 914 to transmit an acknowledgement request ofthe newly changed channel to the display. Upon receiving theacknowledgement request from the device, the Process 900 continues tostep 916 to transmit acknowledgement of the new channel to the device102. Process 900 then terminates at step 918 to perform connection testand Internet test as described previously.

Referring to FIG. 10A, a diagram illustrating entering a phone number isdepicted in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. Asshown in LCD display 1000, a message 1002 is displayed prompting theuser to enter a 10-digit phone number. First, the user may select anumber using the “UP” or “DN” key. By depressing “UP” key, the previousnumber in numerical sequence 1004 will be selected. By depressing “DN”key, the next number in numerical sequence 1004 will be selected. Aftereach number is selected, the user may enter the selection by depressingthe “E” key.

Referring to FIG. 10B, a diagram illustrating entering the 10^(th) digitof a phone number is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. After 9 digits of phone number 1006 have beenselected, a message 1008 is displayed prompting the user to enter the10^(th) digit using the “UP” or “DN” key. By depressing “UP” key, theprevious number in numerical sequence 1010 will be selected. Bydepressing “DN” key, the next number in numerical sequence 1010 will beselected. After the 10^(th) number is selected, the user may enter it bydepressing the “E” key.

Referring to FIG. 10C, a diagram illustrating entering a time zone isdepicted in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.After the phone number is entered, a message 1012 is displayed promptingthe user to select a time zone from one of the following: AtlanticStandard Time (AST) 1014, Eastern Standard Time (EST) 1016, CentralStandard Time (CST) 1018, Mountain Standard Time (MST) 1020, PacificStandard Time (PST) 1022, Alaska Standard Time (AKST) 1024, and HawaiiStandard Time (HAST) 1026. By depressing the “UP” key, the previous timezone will be selected. By depressing the “DN” key, the next time zonewill be selected. After the time zone is selected, the user may enter itby depressing the “E” key.

Referring to FIG. 10D, a diagram illustrating entering daylight savingszone is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. After the time zone is entered, the user's phone number 1030and the selected time zone 1032 are displayed on LCD display 1000. Inaddition, a message 1034 is displayed prompting the user to enterdaylight savings zone if the area uses Daylight Savings Time. Bydepressing the “UP” key, a “No” will be selected. By depressing the “DN”key, a “Yes” will be selected. After the selection is made, the user mayenter it by depressing the “E” key.

Referring to FIG. 10E, a diagram illustrating confirming a daylightsavings zone is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. After the daylight savings zone is entered, theuser's phone number 1030 and the selected time zone 1032 are displayedon LCD display 1000. In this example, a Central Standard Time (CST) isentered. In addition, a message 1036 is displayed prompting the user toconfirm the daylight savings zone entered. By depressing the “UP” key, a“No” will be selected. By depressing the “DN” key, a “Yes” will beselected. After the selection is made, the user may confirm it bydepressing the “E” key.

Referring to FIG. 11A, a diagram illustrating displaying a “ConnectSuccess” message is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. After the daylight savings zone is confirmed, aconnection test with the device 102 is performed. A “Connect Success”message 1102 is displayed on LCD display 1100 if the connection test isperformed successfully.

Referring to FIG. 11B, a diagram illustrating displaying a “ConnectError” message and confirming radio address is depicted in accordancewith one embodiment of the present disclosure. If the connection test isunsuccessful, a “Connect Error” message 1104 is displayed on LCD display1100 to notify user that the connection is unsuccessful. In addition, amessage 1106 is displayed prompting the user to confirm the 8-digitradio address 1108 of device 102. By depressing the “UP” key, a “No”will be selected. By depressing the “DN” key, a “Yes” will be selected.After the selection is made, the user may confirm it by depressing the“E” key.

Referring to FIG. 11C, a diagram illustrating entering a radio addressof device is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The 8-digit radio address 1110 is displayed on LCD display1100. A message 1112 is displayed prompting the user to enter a baseradio address by using the “UP” or “DN” key. By depressing the “UP” key,the previous number in numerical sequence 1114 will be selected. Bydepressing the “DN” key, the next number in numerical sequence 1114 willbe selected. After each number is selected, the user may enter theselection by depressing the “E” key.

Referring to FIG. 11D, a diagram illustrating confirming the radioaddress entry is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. After 8 digits of radio address 1116 have beenselected, a message 1118 is displayed prompting the user to confirm theentry of radio address 1116 using the “UP” or “DN” key. Message 1118confirms entry of the radio address 1116 by asking the user “Is BaseUnit Address Correct?” By depressing the “UP” key, a “No” will beselected. By depressing the “DN” key, a “Yes” will be selected. Afterthe selection is made, the user may confirm it by depressing the “E”key.

Referring to FIG. 11E, a diagram illustrating displaying “Connect Error”message is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. If the connection test is unsuccessful, a message 1120 isdisplayed notifying the user that the connection test is performedunsuccessfully. In addition, a “Is base unit power cord connected?”message 1122 is displayed prompting the user to check the power cord ofthe device.

Referring to FIG. 11F, a diagram illustrating displaying a “ConnectSuccess” message is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. A “Connect Success” message 1124 is displayed on LCDdisplay 1100 if the connection test is performed successfully.

Referring to FIG. 12A, a diagram illustrating displaying the user'sphone number, name, and welcome message is depicted in accordance withone embodiment of the present disclosure. If communication with the CNAMdatabase or other database is successful, the user's phone number 1202is displayed in LCD display 1200. The user's name 1204 is also displayedin LCD display 1200. Part of a welcome message 1206 is further displayedon LCD display 120 to welcome the new user.

Referring to FIG. 12B, a diagram illustrating displaying the date, time,and remaining welcome message is depicted in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure. The phone number 1202, name 1204and welcome message 1206 alternate every two seconds with the date 1208,time 1210, and remaining message segment 1212.

Referring to FIG. 12C, a diagram illustrating displaying a “InternetTest Error” message is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. If communication with the CNAM database or otherdatabase is unsuccessful, a “Internet Test Error” message 1214 isdisplayed in LCD display 1200 to notify the user that the Internet testis unsuccessful. In addition, a “Ethernet Cable Connected?” message 1216is displayed on LCD display 1200 to remind the user to check Ethernetcable connection.

Referring to FIG. 13A, a diagram illustrating displaying the incomingphone number is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. In operation, when an incoming call is received atdisplay 300, the phone number 1302 of the incoming call is displayed onLCD display 1300.

Referring to FIG. 13B, a diagram illustrating displaying calling partyinformation is depicted in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. After calling party information is retrieved, theinformation is displayed on LCD display 300. The information includesthe calling party's phone number 1304, calling party name 1306, and partof a message intended for called party 1308.

Referring to FIG. 13C, a diagram illustrating displaying the date, time,and remaining message intended for the called party is depicted inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. The phonenumber 1304, calling party name 1306 and message intended for calledparty 1208 alternate every two seconds with the date 1310, time 1312,and remaining message segment intended for called party 1314.

Referring to FIG. 14A, a diagram illustrating displaying a messagenotifying the user to unplug and re-plug the power to device 102 isdepicted in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.After depressing all keys simultaneously for two seconds, a “Unplug andre-plug power to Base Unit to change channels” message 1402 is displayedfor at least six seconds to notify the user to cycle power in order tochange radio channel.

Referring to FIG. 14B, a diagram illustrating entering a new channel isdepicted in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.Upon power up, a message 1404 is displayed showing the user the currentchannel number. The message 1404 also prompts the user to enter a newchannel number using the “UP” and “DN” keys. By depressing the “UP” key,the previous number or character in alphanumeric sequence 1406 will beselected. By depressing the “DN” key, the next number or character inalphanumerical sequence 1406 will be selected. After the selection ismade, the user may confirm it by depressing the “E” key.

In summary, the present disclosure provides a system and method forproviding additional information to called parties. In one embodiment,the system comprises a liquid crystal display operable to display atleast one alphanumeric character, a “UP” key, a “DN” key, and a “E” key.A setup of the display unit may be initiated upon a depression of the“UP” key and “DN” key simultaneously for at least three seconds. Inaddition, a phone number of the display unit may be configured upon adepression of at least one of the “UP” and “DN” keys to select at leastone number in a numerical sequence displayed on the liquid crystaldisplay, and the “E” key to enter the at least one number. A radioaddress of the base unit device may be configured upon a depression ofat least one of the UP″ and “DN” keys to select at least one number in anumerical sequence displayed on the liquid crystal display, and the “E”key to enter the at least one number. The liquid crystal display isoperable to display a phone number of an incoming call, a name of acalling party, and the additional information comprising a date, a time,and a message. The display of the phone number, the name, and themessage is alternated with a display of the date, the time, and aremaining portion of the message for at least every two seconds.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the system and method of the presentdisclosure has been illustrated in the accompanied drawings anddescribed in the foregoing detailed description, it will be understoodthat the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but iscapable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutionswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure asset forth and defined by the following claims. For example, a greater orlesser numbers of elements, modules, hardware, software, and/or firmwarecan be used to provide additional information to called parties withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Also, theadditional information can be sent via at least one of a data network,the Internet, an Internet Protocol network, a wireless source, and awired source and via a plurality of protocols. For example, the wirelessconnection between device 102 and other called party devices may beestablished via wireless protocols, such as TDMA, CDMA, 802.11b,802.11g, or other types of wireless protocols.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a calling party device; abase unit device that provides a service for sending additionalinformation to a called party, the base unit comprises a microprocessorand a first transceiver; and a display unit for receiving the additionalinformation from the base unit device and displaying the additionalinformation to the called party, the display unit comprises a secondtransceiver and a display; wherein the calling party device invokes theservice by providing a calling party identifier to the base unit devicewhen a call to the called party is made; wherein the microprocessor isprogrammed to: receive the calling party identifier from the callingparty; retrieve a calling party name and a calling party message that isa text message intended specifically for the called party from adatabase using the identifier; provide the additional informationcomprising the calling party name and the calling party message to thedisplay unit using the first transceiver; and wherein the display unitis configured to: receive the additional information from the base unitdevice using the second transceiver; and display the additionalinformation on the display.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the baseunit device comprises at least one telephone port that is operable toreceive an identifier of a calling party from a calling party device andsend the identifier to the microprocessor.
 3. The system of claim 2,wherein the microprocessor is operable to provide the identifier as alookup query to a database and send the lookup query to an Ethernetinterface for delivery to an Ethernet port.
 4. The system of claim 3,wherein the Ethernet interface is operable to forward the query to theEthernet port via an Ethernet interface circuitry for delivery to thedatabase.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the Ethernet port isoperable to receive the additional information retrieved from thedatabase and send the information to the Ethernet interface via anEthernet interface circuitry for delivery to the microprocessor.
 6. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein the microprocessor is operable to forward theinformation to a caller ID decoder, wherein the caller ID decoder isoperable to encode the information into a format utilized by the displayunit.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the caller decoder is operableto forward the encoded information to one of the at least one telephoneport via a telephone interface circuitry for delivery to the displayunit.
 8. The system of claim 5, wherein the microprocessor is operableto forward the information to the first transceiver for delivery to thefirst wireless antenna.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the firsttransceiver is operable to forward the information to a first wirelessantenna via an antenna interface circuitry for delivery to the displayunit.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises asecond wireless antenna that is operable to receive the information andforward the information to the second transceiver via an antennainterface circuitry.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the secondtransceiver is operable to forward the information to the display via aninterface circuitry.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the display unitis operable to be configured by at least one configuration of a set ofkeys.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of keys comprises a“UP” key, a “DN” key, and a “E” key.
 14. The system of claim 13, whereinthe “UP” key is operable to be configured to scroll from a messagecurrently displayed on the liquid crystal display to a message recentlyreceived by the display unit.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the“DN” key is operable to be configured to scroll from a message currentlydisplayed on the liquid crystal display to a message already received bythe display unit.
 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the “E” key isoperable to be configured to delete at least one of: a message currentlydisplayed in the liquid crystal display; and all messages stored in abuffer if the “E” key is depressed for at least three seconds.
 17. Asystem, comprising: a display unit for displaying additional informationreceived from a base unit device to a called party, the display unitoperable to display at least one alphanumeric character and comprises aplurality of function keys; wherein the display unit receives anddisplays the additional information comprising a calling party name anda calling party message that is a text message intended specifically forthe called party that have been retrieved from a database by the baseunit device using a calling party identifier in response to receiving acalling party identifier from the calling party.
 18. The system of claim17, wherein the display unit is operable to display a phone number of anincoming call, a name of a calling party, and the additional informationcomprising a date, a time, and a message.
 19. The system of claim 18,wherein the display unit is further operable to alternate a display ofthe phone number, the name, and the message and a display of the date,the time and a remaining portion of the message for at least every twoseconds.
 20. A method, comprising: receiving a calling party identityfrom a calling party at a device; determining the identity in a decoderof the device; providing the identity to a database to retrieveadditional information comprising a name of the calling party and amessage of the calling party that is a text message intended for thecalled party; and providing the retrieved additional information to acalled party device for displaying the additional information on adisplay of a display unit associated with the called party device.